Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul has reacted to breaking his infamous NBA playoff losing streak record under official Scott Foster, saying he’s “sure it’s still gonna be a thing”.
Paul had incredibly lost 13 NBA play-off games in a row when Foster was the man in charge up until Tuesday’s 123-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, to tie the series up at 1-1, with Paul putting up 16 points in over half an hour.
The first loss for Paul with Foster holding the whistle came in 2008, a Game Seven loss for the New Orleans Hornets against the San Antonio Spurs. Foster also took charge of a number of Paul’s play-off games while he was playing his trade at the Houston Rockets.
Paul also lost his last game with the Oklahoma City Thunder with Foster overseeing play. Foster also featured in the Suns’ 2021 NBA Finals series with the Milwaukee Bucks, refereeing Games Three and Six, which the Arizona-based franchise lost.
Paul’s official play-off record with Foster in charge is 2-15 but the streak stood tall at 13 consecutive losses up until Tuesday’s win. Nonetheless, Paul expects his rivalry with the official to rumble on.
“I’m sure it’s still gonna be a thing,” future Hall of Famer Paul said to the media after the game. “The league know what it is so… can’t control it. They ain’t been able to control all the other ones so it ain’t gonna change now.”
Paul has previously addressed the infamous losing streak after Game Three of the NBA Finals against the Bucks. “If I was a betting man -- 11 games in a row," Paul fumed.
And after being given a technical foul in the 2018 regular season as a Rockets ace, Paul said: “Yeah, Scott Foster at his finest. You know what I mean? He just never fails. Some of them, you can [communicate] with. You've just gotta figure out who you can and you can't. I got a tech tonight. I'm over there with [referee Courtney Kirkland] saying, 'That's Scott, that's Scott,' and I got a tech. That's history there. He the man. That's who they pay to see."
And during a Game 7 2020 loss Paul pointed the finger a Foster for setting him up to get a delay of game technical foul. "That situation, the league know[s]," Paul said. "They're going to fine me; I said his name. We already know the history."
